Tension device for harness.



J. C. DOENITZ.

TENSION DEVICE FOR HARNESS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16. 1914.

1,177,235. Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

mplnpllpu lm '1 JOHN C. DOENITZ, OF DOLANID, SOUTH DAKOTA.

TENSION DEVICE FOR HARNESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 28, 1%16.

Application filed February 16, 1914. Serial No. 819,037.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. JOHN C. Donxrrz, a citizen of the United States, residing at Doland, in the county of Spink, State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tension Devices for Harness; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to tension device for harness.

The object of the invention resides in the provision of means disposed between the hame of the draft animal and the traces whereby shocks transmitted by the traces will be taken up.

It is further the object of the invention to provide such means as comprise a minimum number of parts so that the device may be manufactured at a low cost, it being at the same time an object of the invention to elliciently house the various working parts of the device so that they are protected from the elements and from being injured.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel combination,

formation and arrangement of parts to be.

hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings wherein similar, characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the im proved device. Fig. 2, is a detail perspective View of one end of the device. Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional view of the device taken on the vertical plane and showing a modified form of clip for attaching one end of the device to a hame. Fig. 4 is a view of the blank employed in constructing the device.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing, the device comprises a casing formed of a single blank of metal bent to provide relatively wide sides 5 andrelatively narrow sides 6, one of said last sides being formed by securing the side edges of the blank together by the rivets 7. The sides 5 arecontinned at one end and provided with alining bores 8 through which a bolt 9 is passed,

said bolt securing an eye member 10 adapted to engage the U-shaped staple of a hame. This is the structure shown in Figs. 1 and :2 of the drawings. Should the hame be provided with a bolt connecting element, a clip as shown in Fig. 3 is provided which comprises a single length of metal 11 bent centrally back upon itself and having disposed between its end portions a spacing block 12. The bolt 9 is passed through alined openings in the metal 11 and spacing block and the securing bolt of the hame is positioned in the bight portion of the strip of metal.

Disposed in each end portion of the casing is a plate 13 provided with a spaced pair of transverse openings 14. A U-shaped trace carrying member 15 is provided and has its arms passed through the openings in the plate and enlarged at their free extremities to prevent displacement. Coil springs 16 surround the arms of the member 15 and bear against the plates. Movement outwardly of that plate 13 farthest from the hame connection is prevented by bending the edge of the casing inwardly as at 17. To limit the movement of the other plate 13 the other end edges of the narrow sides 6 of the caslng are bent inwardly at 19. The arms of the Ushaped member adjacent their juncture with the bight are bowed outwardly at 20 to adapt the bight for holding the bight portion of a U-shaped metal strap 21 apertured to receive rivets for securing the trace thereto. By bowing these arm portions it is noted that they are also held against inward movement with relation to the adjacent plate 13.

An important feature of the construction shown is that the casing in addition to serving as a housing, also holds the parts in assembled relation and serves to prevent displacement of the end plates 13.

When a horse is pulling a heavy load, as in starting a vehicle in motion, there is comparatively great strain exerted and to relieve the springs in this respect intermediate opposed portions of the side walls 5 of the casing are provided with inwardly struck portions 22 forming stops against which the movable plate 13 strikes so that the springs cannot normally be pressed to their greatest tension.

It is thus seen that a simple and eflicient structure has been provided which will efliciently take up the shock and unusual strain incident to travel of the vehicle over a rough road.

Vhat is claimed, is 1- 1. In a device of the class described, a hollow casing rectangular in cross section and open at its ends, a plate of rectangular formation slidably arranged within said casing adjacent each end thereof, a flange extending inwardly from the ends of said casing to limit the outward movement of said plates, each of said plates being provided with a pair of spaced openings and the openings of one plate being alined with those of the other, an eye member secured to one end of said casing, a U-shaped bolt having its arms extended. within said casing through said alined openings and having their extremities enlarged, a coil spring encircling each of said arms and bearing at its opposite ends against said plates, and a stop arranged within said casing intermediate its ends to project into the path of one of said plates to limit the inward movement of the same, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, a hollow casing, a plate arranged adjacent each end of said casing and slidable therein, means for limiting the outward movement of said plates, each of said plates being provided with spaced openings alining with the openings of the opposite plate, a U-shaped JOHN C. DOENITZ.

Witnesses H. O. WEBB, F. E. ELLIOTT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Batenta, Washington, D. C. 

